Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2017 49 2017 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE Holmes is the son of Craig and Dawn Holmes, and their influence is what made him a national recruit. "At an early age, they demanded excellence; mediocrity in our house was never a standard," Holmes ex- plained. "Even with my grades in school, my dad always had this say- ing that C's are F's. Things like be- ing on time, talking articulately, not conforming. "They always taught me to create depth within my mentality. Anything I do and any decision I make is not just for me, but I'm thinking of my future and I'm thinking of them." Like most young people, Holmes initially resisted this instruction, thinking he knew what was best for him. The more he experienced, he saw how important it was to heed the advice of his parents, even as he set to blaze his own trail. Dawn Holmes was a five-time All- American in track and field at South- ern Connecticut State, and Holmes' father was also a track standout be- fore joining the Army. His parents are well known in his community, and the younger Holmes wanted to create his own identity, which his parents embraced. "I never wanted to live in the shadow of my parents, and I never wanted my parents to have the conversation like, 'Your son was so good, but only if he would have …'" Holmes said. "Just them being them taught me to be myself. "It's so important for me to be viewed as myself," he continued. "Me and my dad share the same name, and me and my dad have a tremendous relationship, but the simple fact is I don't like being called Craig because I'm C.J. and he's Craig. I feel like creating that identity has allowed me to grow a lot." His parents encouraged this atti- tude, but when it came to making his college decision, the younger Holmes leaned heavily on the two biggest influences in his life. "If they weren't comfortable with me going to the University of Notre Dame I wouldn't have committed," Holmes stated emphatically. "My mom in particular wasn't comfort- able with me going to let's say Ala- bama, because she felt it wasn't as academically glorified … with Notre Dame they were comfortable, and for me it made it easy to see all the great things Notre Dame had because my parents were seeing it, too." ✦ Rivals rates Holmes as a four-star talent, the No. 2 prospect in Connecticut, and the No. 5 all-purpose back and No. 203 overall player nationally. PHOTO BY NICK LUCERO/COURTESY RIVALS.COM BlueAndGold.com Football Recruiting Is HERE! *Use Promo Code BGI30 Go behind the scenes with exclusive coverage on the Irish throughout the season. In-depth analysis by our seasoned experts in the field. Breaking news, team and individual rankings, features on every commitment, over 10 years of archived recruiting information. See all of tomorrow's top Irish prospects in action on our top quality prospect videos. Interact with other Notre Dame fans across the country and discuss the state of the Irish. Get The Rivals.com Mobile App! Providing you the best coverage of Notre Dame Football, Basketball, Recruiting and Sports – on the go! Daily Team Coverage Expert Analysis Recruiting Scoop Prospect Videos Expert Message Boards